Set of large 18th century Italian paintings of the Four Seasons

Dating to the eighteenth century, these beautiful paintings depict in allegorical form the four seasons in a series of scenes showing cherubs in landscape settings. By an Italian artist, probably working in Rome, they are exquisite examples of early Italian Rococo art and are mounted in suitably beautiful carved giltwood frames.

Executed in oil-on-canvas, they each show a company of four putti cavorting and revelling merrily in front of a large, imposing architectural element that opens up to reveal a dark, brooding, atmospheric background. Winter, which can be discerned from the fire in the centre of the composition around which the cherubs converge, otherwise unaffected by the cold, is followed by Spring, in which the four deck and crown each other with floral garlands. In Summer, they lounge under the heat, having collected the winter wheat harvest, and in Autumn they enjoy the fruits of the harvest, drinking and frolicking around with wine, in an almost Dionysiac state of rest and festivity, with a lion's head in the centre while one putto wears a leopard skin.

The paintings show the influence of the emerging Rococo style, which originated in France before spreading across the great artistic nations of Europe. These particular pieces are by an 18th century Italian working in the Roman school of painting, to judge from the artistic style, rather than the Napolitan or Piedmontese Rococo schools. Thus, they are important examples of Italians working in this style, a significance reflected in the exceptional quality and artistry of their execution.

Frames: height 98cm, width 201.5cm, depth 5cm
Canvases: height 85cm, width 188cm, depth 2.5